Michel Martelly to end political stand-off

Lawmakers in Haiti are due to meet in an emergency session to vote on an electoral law aimed at ending the political stand-off between the government and the opposition.

On Sunday, President Michel Martelly said he had reached a deal with the opposition to hold long-delayed elections.

But a key opposition party was not part of the last-minute agreement.

The mandate of the sitting legislature will expire at midnight (05:00GMT).

President Martelly announced late on Sunday that he had agreed with some 20 political leaders to hold elections by the end of this year.

But the left-wing Fanmi Lavalas, which has been at the forefront of anti-government protests, was not part of the agreement.

If the deal is not approved before the midnight deadline, parliament could be dissolved and Mr Martelly could rule by presidential decree, something the opposition says was his plan all along.

Mr Martelly says the blame for the delayed elections lies with opposition lawmakers who have refused to pass a key electoral law needed for polls to be held.

Mid-term Senate elections had been originally due in May 2012, while the municipal poll is three years behind schedule.